Golf is a very popular sport but demanding in terms of the various skills that need to be applied by the individual golfer to play the sport at even the most basic level. A golfer's basic swing technique is governed by many variables including his (or her) coordination and strength, golf club selection, golf ball selection, and golf course conditions, to name just a few.
In view of these many variables, the golfer is required to develop and maintain a certain skill set to improve their overall ability to play golf at some consistent level. For example, with respect to the putting element of the golf game, the player is faced with and required to determine and control variables such as stroke, speed, aim with respect to the golf ball, and aim (including putter angle) with respect to the face of the putter. Interestingly, it has been reported that putting comprises a large percentage (e.g., 25-30 percent) of the overall number of strokes made during a standard round of golf, and a putt, in both professional golf tournaments and recreational play, can create some of the greatest drama during a round as reflected in the well-known golf adage “drive for show, putt for dough” that is often repeated by golf professionals, amateurs, spectators and broadcasters.
As those who are well-acquainted with golf will attest, the ability to accurately and consistently putt a golf ball is a very difficult skill to develop and maintain, and many golfers are on a continual search to find their best and repeatable putting stroke. Seizing on an opportunity, the golf industry is replete with a variety of putting training devices to assist players with their putting prowess. Some of these devices are directed to improving aiming capability, others for improving alignment, and others for perfecting the stroke itself. Some devices attached to the putter itself or require the player to secure himself to the device or training apparatus.
The information directed to, and useful for, putting in these types of aides varies widely in terms of assisting a golfer in training for a particular putting stroke or executing a real-time putt during a round of golf. So, while some existing golf aides may be useful in providing general information related to putting, the golfer is still challenged with digesting the general information and effectively utilizing that information to determine how to strike a particular golf putt in a real-time fashion. Important to that real-time determination is the precise location of the golf ball on the green, the precise location of the golf cup (or hole), the overall surface characteristics of the green (including its topography and so-called green speed), and the ideal putt defined in terms of aiming direction and speed.
Therefore, a need exists for an improved putting stroke apparatus and methodology that determines and simulates the proper putting stroke in terms of aiming direction and speed for successfully making a putt based on particular putting green characteristics and the location of the golf hole on the putting green, and which is interactive with the user thereby providing an enhanced playing experience.